Firearm with sling strap



IMQ-#1944. D'. M. WILLIAMS FIREAM WITH sLING-sTRAP 2 sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 3. 1942 D. M. WILLIAMS FIREARM WITH SLING-STRAP lJune 6, 1 944l Filed Jan. 3. 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 6, 1944 FIREARM WITH sLING STRAP David M. Williams, New` Haven, Conn., assigner to Western Cartridge Company, New Haven, Conn., a corporation of Delaware Application January 3, 1942, Serial No. 425,502

Claims. (Cl. 42-85) The present invention relates to improvements in firearms, and relates more particularly to improvements in firearms of the military type having sling-straps to enable the firearm to be slung across a persons shoulder and for the other obvious purposes for which sling-straps are employed.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a firearm with superior means for attaching a sling-strap thereto.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a firearm with superior means for attaching a sling-strap thereto, which means is simple, reliable and low in cost of production and installation.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a superior firearm-structure embodying a sling-strap and in which the said sling-strap is securely attached to the rear portion of the stock with a minimum amount of projection to thus avoid the tearing of clothing and interference with rapid manipulation of the iirearm.

With the above and other objects in View, as will appear to those skilled in the art from the present disclosure, this invention includes al1 features in the said disclosure which are novel over the prior art and which are not claimed in any separate application.

In the accompanying drawings, in which certain modes of carrying out the present invention are shown for illustrative purposes:

Fig. l is a view in side elevation of a firearm embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a broken view of the left side of the rear portion of the stock with the sling-strap in place thereon;

Fig. 3 is a view partly in rear elevation of the stock and butt-plate and partly in vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a broken View in longitudinal section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a broken perspective View of the rear portion of the stock with the butt-plate secured thereto;

Fig. 6 is a broken perspective view of the rear portion of the stock omitting the butt-plate;

Fig. '7 is a side view of the butt-plate unit detached;

Fig. 8 is a top or plan View of the butt-plate unit detached; and

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the butt-plate unit detached and viewing the same mainly from the front.

The particular firearm herein chosen for purposes of illustrating the present invention includes, in the main, a stock Ill, a receiver II, a barrel I2 and a barrel-cover or hand-guard I3. The receiver II and barrel I2 are preferably formed of high-grade steel, while the stock I0 and barrel-cover I3 are preferably formed of wood or other suitable heat-insulating material.

The stock Ill is preferably formed in one continuous piece, but for convenience of description its forward portion, which mainly underlies the receiver I I and the barrel I2, may be designated as a forestock-portion Illa, While the rear portion of the said stock, mainly to the rear of the receiver II, may be designated as a buttstockportion IDb.

Encircling the barrel I2 and the respective forward portions of the forestock-portion loa and barrel-cap I3 is a front-band I4 of any suitable construction and which, in the instance shown, is provided on its left side (Fig. 1) with a rigid vertical loop I5.

Associated with the firearm in a manner as will be more fully hereinafter described, is a flexible sling-strap generally designated by the reference character IS and which may be formed of textile material, leather, or other suitable flexible material. For purposes of description, the particular sling-strap I6 shown in the accompanying drawings may be considered as having a slide-end I'I and a coupling-end I8. The tip of the coupling-end I8 of the sling-strap I6 is preferably reinforced as shown by a metallic tip-guard I9, while the slide-end Il is preferably rigidly attached to one end of a slide-buckle such as 20. The said slide-buckle is provided with a clamping-lever 2| in a manner common in the art of slide-buckles.

Adjacent its tip-guard I9, the coupling-end I8 of the sling-strap IS isiormed with a longitudinally-extending slit-like buttonhole 22 through which normally extends the rod-like shank 23 of a spool-shaped button 24. The rear portion of the shank 23 of the button 24 extends through a longitudinal slit-like buttonhole 25 formed in the coupling-end I8 of the sling-strap a few inches inwardly from the buttonhole 22 before referred to, as is especially well shown in Fig. 4.

The coupling-end I8 of the sling-strap I6 is normally looped around a substantially-vertical tie-bar 26 integrally united at its respective upper and lower ends by one of two substantially-horizontal end-bars 2l and 28 to a butt-plate generally designated by the reference character 29.

The butt-plate 29 is secured to the rear face of the 'buttstock-portion ISD of the stock I! in any suitable manner such, for instance, as by means of two screws 30-30 respectively located adjacent the upper and lower ends of the said butt-plate, as is shown especially well in Fig. 5. Thesaid butt-plate may be formed of heavy sheet metal or produced in any other suitable manner such, for

instance, as by die-casting.

In its left side about midway between its respectiveupper and lower edges, the butt-,stockportion lllb is formed with a longitudinally-extending groove-like recess 3| intersecting the rear face of thesaidV buttstock-portion and having its forward wall curved and merging into the contour of the left side ofthe buttstock-portion l'b, as is especially well shown in Fig. 4. The said recess 3l has a vertical width'substantially correspending to the similar width of a passage 5732 formed in the butt-plate unit immediately'to Ving of clothing and interference with the rapid The invention may be carried out in other lspecific ways than those herein set forth without departing from the spirit and essential character- Yistics of the invention, and the present embodithe rear'of the tie-bar 2'6. The width of the recess i l 3| in the buttstock-portion I0`b and the widthof n the passage 32 in the butt-plate unit 29 slightly exceed the width of the sling-strap I6. Respectively above and below the recess 3l above referred to in the buttstock-portion Illb, the said buttstock-portion is cut away to form complemental notches 33 and 34, the respective Vinner walls of which provide outwardly-facing seats against which respectively seat thek upper and lower end-bars 21 and 28 of the butt-plate unit 29. In producing the notches 33 and 34 above referred to, the buttstock-portion Ib is preferably cut away to such depth as will permit the outer faces of the tie-bar 26 and the end-bars 2 and 28 to beV substantially flush with the left side-face of the buttstock-portion lb. In effect, theforward Vwalls of the cuts made in the buttstockpor-tion lob to produce the notches 33 and 34 .stock as a whole. Either or both of the said bores 3g8 or. 39 may be utilized to store an oil-can or cleaningkit rv both in a manner usual in military rearms. l Y Y When the sling-strap I6 is loopedV around both the tie-bar 26 of the butt-plate unit 29 and the loop .l5-0f' the front-'bandY I4.-l rearward draft will be exerted upon the said loop and forward draft upon the tie-bar 26 whenA the firearm is carriedV by means of the said sling-strap. The strains im-l posed upon the tie-bar 26 or its :equivalent will, ofcourse, draw forwardly uponthe entire butty plate unit 29, and the strain will be mainly taken up against substantially the entire rear face of thebuttstock-portion lub. I-f desired and as before pointed out, the forward draft upon the tiebar26 Vmay be checked in part by the engagement of therespective. upper and lower portions of the said `tie-bar withY the abutments 36 and 31 in the left side-,wall of. the buttstock-portion 10b.

' VIt willalso be noted vby reference to the draw- Iings that by meansvof the tie-bar 26 or its equivalent which is, in the instance shown, set flush with the adjacent side face of the buttstock-portlo-n Vlllfthe .rear portion of the sling-strap has a minimum projection beyond the side face of -the said buttstock-portion. Thus, the said sling-strap and the means for its attachment afford a-minif mum amount of projection to thus avoid the tear-Y Eto-be embraced'therein.

ments are, therefore, to be considered inc all respects as 'illustrative and not restrictive, and all .changes comingwithin the meaning and lequivalency range of the appended claims are intended Iclaim: C Y* Y 1. TA sling-strap'firearm-structure including in combination: a stock'provided in one of its sidefaces with aV strap-receiving recess; a butt-plate unitsecured to the rear end of the said stock and provided with a vertical tie-'bar unitary-,therewithV end rextending lvertically across the recess in the said stock'ini a plane forwardly of the rear face of saidvstock; front'strap-attaching' means adi Vformed on each ofthe respective opposite sides of the said strap-receiving recess with-one of two notches; a butt-plate unit 'secured to the rear end of the said stock and provided with strapattaching means unitary therewith and extending across the said recess in a plane forwardly of the rear face of 4said stock and seated at its respective oppositezends inthe `respective notches in the 'iii said, stockifront strap-attaching means adjacent y the. forward end of the saidV stock; and a slingstrap having'a forward'portion Vattached to the said frontstrap-attaching means andrhaving la rear portion connected .to the strap-attaching means of the said 'butt-plate unit at a point intermediate the two said notches in the said stock.

.3. `A sling-strap rearmfstructure including in combination:Y a stock provided in one of its side 1 faces 'with Va strap-receiving recess extending lengthwise of the said stock, the saidstock also being formed aboveand below the said strapthe Vsaid *front` strap-attaching Ameans 1 andftheVV vertical tie-bar of the 'said butt-plate unit.

4. A sling-strap firearm-structure includin'gin combination: a stock provided in one of its side# faces with a strap-receiving recess; and a butt# plate unit secured to the rear end of the said stock and provided with a vertical tie-bar unitary therewith and extending vertically across the recess in the said stock ina plane forwardly of the rear face of said stock. v Y

. 5, A sling-strap rear-mfstructure vincluding in combination: a stock provided in one of its sidefaces with a strap-receiving recess extending lengthwise of the said stock, the said stock also being formed above and below the said strapreceiving recess with one of two notches; and a butt-plate unit secured to the rear end of the said stock and provided with a forwardly-projecting portion having a vertical tie-bar extending vertically across the recess in the said stock in a plane forwardly of the rear face of said stock and seated at its respective opposite ends in the re- 5 spective notches thereof. 

